System and method for securely dispensing medication

ABSTRACT

A system and method for securely dispensing medication are described herein. The system includes a telemedicine center that communicates with medical assistant station and a medication distribution station located at a correctional facility and a physician center remote to the correctional facility. The medical assistant station transmits a request for medication to the telemedicine center. The telemedicine center verifies an identity of the medical assistant requesting the medication and transmits the request to the physician center. When the telemedicine center receives a confirmation to dispense medicine from the physician center, an identity of the physician transmitting the confirmation is verified. The telemedicine center then verifies an identity of an inmate to receive the medication, by way of the medication distribution station, and allows the medication distribution station to dispense the medication.

BACKGROUND Field

The disclosure relates to a telemedicine system that facilitates asecure tracking of medicine from time of ordering to dispensing of themedicine at a medicine dispenser.

Background

Traditionally, a correctional facility uses a remote medical doctor(M.D.) to perform check-ups and prescribe prescriptions to an inmate.The check-ups are usually performed by voice or video communicationsystems between the M.D. and the inmate. At the correctional facility, alocal medical assistant assists with the check-up by performing taskssuch as arranging the meeting and room, taking patient vitals, andadministering medications such as prescriptions to the inmate. Becauselocal medical assistants are physically at the correctional facility andare in close communication with inmates, local medical assistants may beunduly influenced by inmates in dispensing medication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a partof the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosureand, together with the description, further serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure and to enable a person skilled in thepertinent art to make and use the embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a telemedicine system, accordingto exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a telemedicine center, accordingto exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a telemedicine server, accordingto exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a medical center, according toexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a medication dispenser, accordingto exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a medication label used by the medication dispenserof FIG. 5, according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a medication canister used by the medicationdispenser of FIG. 5, according to exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method 800 for securelydisbursing medication, according to exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method for securelydispensing medication, according to exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a computer system, according to exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicateidentical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left mostdigit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which thereference number first appears.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following Detailed Description refers to accompanying drawings toillustrate exemplary embodiments consistent with the disclosure.References in the Detailed Description to “one exemplary embodiment,”“an exemplary embodiment,” “an example exemplary embodiment,” etc.,indicate that the exemplary embodiment described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every exemplaryembodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same exemplary embodiment. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anexemplary embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in therelevant art(s) to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic inconnection with other exemplary embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided for illustrativepurposes, and are not limiting. Other exemplary embodiments arepossible, and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodimentswithin the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the DetailedDescription is not meant to limit the invention. Rather, the scope ofthe invention is defined only in accordance with the following claimsand their equivalents.

Embodiments may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), firmware,software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments may also beimplemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, whichmay be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readablemedium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting informationin a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example,a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); randomaccess memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.), and others. Further, firmware, software, routines,instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions.However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely forconvenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices,processors, controllers, or other devices executing the firmware,software, routines, instructions, etc. Further, any of theimplementation variations may be carried out by a general purposecomputer, as described below.

For purposes of this discussion, any reference to the term “module”shall be understood to include at least one of software, firmware, andhardware (such as one or more circuit, microchip, or device, or anycombination thereof), and any combination thereof. In addition, it willbe understood that each module may include one, or more than one,component within an actual device, and each component that forms a partof the described module may function either cooperatively orindependently of any other component forming a part of the module.Conversely, multiple modules described herein may represent a singlecomponent within an actual device. Further, components within a modulemay be in a single device or distributed among multiple devices in awired or wireless manner.

The following Detailed Description of the exemplary embodiments will sofully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, byapplying knowledge of those skilled in relevant art(s), readily modifyand/or adapt for various applications such exemplary embodiments,without undue experimentation, without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modificationsare intended to be within the meaning and plurality of equivalents ofthe exemplary embodiments based upon the teaching and guidance presentedherein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, suchthat the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is tobe interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s) in light of theteachings herein.

Overview

In a correctional facility setting, medical doctors (M.D.s) are nottypically present at a correctional facility. Instead, M.D.s providemedical check-ups through remote voice or video conferences involvinginmates. To facilitate this, correctional facilities have medical roomswhere an inmate is treated, similar to hospital, as a medical patient.The M.D.s may talk with and/or see the inmates to determine any symptomsand determine which disease or condition applies to the inmate. M.D.smay follow up on pre-existing conditions and diagnose new conditions.Treatment of the conditions may range anywhere from simple exercise ordaily routine changes to the prescribing or renewing of medication. Whena medication is prescribed, the M.D.s write up the prescription and sendthe prescription to a pharmacy for preparation of the medication.

To assist in hands-on procedures at correctional facilities, localmedical assistants, such as nurse assistants, medical technicians, orregistered nurses, are typically employed. Similar to medical assistantsoutside of correctional facilities, local medical assistants arestationed at the correctional facility to assist M.D.s in performingcheck-ups such as obtaining and recording situations surrounding amedical condition, and obtaining inmate vital signs, and/or following upon previous treatments or conditions. When medications are prescribed byM.D.s, local medical assistants additionally assist in distributingmedications to an appropriate dispenser for an inmate to retrieve themedication and/or in administering medications to inmates.

Medications are dispensed at correctional facilities to treat bothphysical and mental illnesses such as infections, pain, and depression,as well as help prevent the spread of diseases. However, inmates thathave access to such medications may use them improperly, such as byselling, trading to gain favors with other inmates, improperlyadministering the medications, facilitating addictions. This makesmedications in a correctional facility a desired commodity. To obtainmedications, inmates may attempt to unduly influence local medicalassistants by way of manipulation, falsehoods, and/or duress.

In light of the above, the present disclosure provides a system andmethod for securely distributing and dispensing a medication such thatlocal medical assistants do not have the option of obtaining medicationfor an inmate without a series of security measures first beingperformed.

Telemedicine System

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a telemedicine system 100,according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Thetelemedicine system 100 includes a telemedicine center 110 configured tocommunicate with a variety of devises over a variety of differentcommunication networks. In particular, the telemedicine center 110 isconfigured with a physician center 120, a medical center 130, and amedication center 140. As will be further explained below, thetelemedicine center 110 receives and transmits medical data,identification data, and scheduling data from/to the physician center120, the medical center 130, and the medication center 140. Tocommunicate with the physician center 120, the telemedicine center 110interfaces with a network 101. The network 101 may be any one or more ofa public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wide area network (WAN),or the Internet. To communicate with the medical center 130, thetelemedicine center 110 interfaces with a network 103. The network 103may be any one or more of a PSTN, a local area network (LAN), a WAN, orthe internet. To communicate with the medication center 140, thetelemedicine center 110 interfaces with a network 105. The network 105may be any one or more of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), aWAN, or the Internet.

The physician center 120 is a location remote to a correctional facilitythat includes a medical doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioneretc. The physician center 120 may be configured to include any number ofphysician devices 122 a-122 x for communicating with the telemedicinecenter 110. Each of the physician devices 122 a-122 x are configured totransmit medical data such as a request for medication, patient data,billing data, etc. Each of the physician devices 122 a-122 x may includeone or more devices such as a computer, a tablet, a facsimile machine,etc. Further, the physician devices 122 a-122 x can be located at onelocation or any number of locations. For example, physician device 122 amay be a computer located in Washington and physician device 122 b maybe a fax machine located in Missouri. Further examples and explanationsof the physician devices 122 a-122 x will be in reference to thephysician center 120.

The medical center 130 is a medical area provided at a correctionalfacility. The medical center 130 may include any number of medicalcenters 132 a-132 n. The medical centers 132 a-132 n may be located atone correction facility location or any number of correctionalfacilities. Each of the medical centers 132 a-132 n is configured toreceive medical data, facilitate distribution of medication, and mayperform identity verification of inmates and local medical assistants.Further examples and explanations of the medical centers 132 a-132 nwill be in reference to the medical center 130. As will be explained infurther detail below, the medical center 130 includes station(s) anddispenser(s) for distributing and dispensing medication.

The medication center 140 is a medication preparation center such as apharmacy that prepares medication for distribution at a correctionalfacility. The medication center 140 may include any number of medicationcenters 142 a-142 y. The medication centers 142 a-142 y are located atlocations remote to correction facilities. However, the telemedicinesystem 100 may also include local medication centers too. Each of themedication centers 142 a-142 y is configured to receive and transmitmedical data, prepare medication for a correction facility, anddistribute the prepared medication to correctional facilities. Forexample, medication center 1 142 a may receive a request for medicationfrom the telemedicine center 110, the medication is then prepared andpackaged according to requirements set by a correctional facility towhich the medication will be sent, and the medication is delivered tothe correctional facility. Further examples and explanations of themedication centers 142 a-142 y will be in reference to the medicationcenter 140.

Telemedicine Center

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a telemedicine center 200,according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Thetelemedicine center 200 may be an exemplary embodiment of thetelemedicine center 110 of FIG. 1. The telemedicine center 200 includesan identity server 202, a medical server 204, a billing server 206, atelemedicine server 208, and data storage 210, that are all connected toeach other via a network bus 212.

Each of the servers 202-208 can be constructed as individual physicalhardware devices, or as virtual servers. The number of physical hardwaremachines can be scaled to match the number of simultaneous userconnections desired to be supported in an telemedicine system such asthe telemedicine system 100.

The identity server 202 consists of any number of servers, and isconfigured to store and organize identity data. The identity dataincludes data relating to physicians, inmates, and local medicalassistants. The identity data includes such data as names, biometricdata, and contact data of physicians, inmates, and local medicalassistants allowed to access the telemedicine system. In an embodiment,the identity data also includes data related to the physician devices122 a-122 x such as make and model of the devices and contactinformation, and/or data related to equipment from a correctionalfacility used to connect to the telemedicine system.

The medical server 204 also consists of any number of servers, and isconfigured to securely receive, organize, and transmit medical data. Inessence, the medical server 204 is configured to receive medical datasuch as a request for medication data, medication fulfillment data,check-up data, medical questionnaires, etc., and to securely store thedata. The medical server 204 can be configured to organize the medicaldata such that when the medical data is received it is tagged and linkedto a corresponding physician, inmate, and/or local medical assistant, tofacilitate searching the medical data. The medical server 204 is alsoconfigured to share some or all of the stored medical data within thetelemedicine center and also with personnel such as physicians or localmedical assistants, based on authorization. For example, a local medicalassistant may only have access to a list of available prescriptions foran inmate while another local medical assistant or a physician may haveaccess to all medical data of the same inmate.

The billing server 206 can consist of any number of servers, and isconfigured to securely receive, organize, and transmit billing andaccounting data. In detail, the billing server 206 stores data relatingto billing for an inmate. The billing data may include responsiblebilling parties or historical costs of medications. When the billingdata is received, the received data is tagged and linked to acorresponding physician, inmate, and/or local medical assistant tofacilitate searching the billing data. Similar to the medical server204, the billing server 206 is also configured to share some or all ofthe stored data within the telemedicine center and also with personnelsuch as physicians or local medical assistants, based on authorization.

The telemedicine server 208 consists of any number of servers, and isconfigured to schedule and track the distribution of medications withinthe telemedicine system 100. The telemedicine server 208 communicateswith the physician center 120, the medical center 130 or the medicationcenter 140 to schedule and coordinate distribution of a medication. Forexample, the telemedicine server 208 communicates with the physiciancenter 120 to determine whether to distribute medication to a particularinmate. As another example, the telemedicine server 208 communicateswith the medication center 140 to schedule when to distributemedication. As a further example, the telemedicine server 208 providesinstructions to the medication center 140 to dispense medication.

To facilitate the scheduling of medication distribution, thetelemedicine server 208 communicates with the identity server 202, themedical server 204, and the billing server 206. The telemedicine server208 retrieves data gathered and stored by these servers and uses thedata for such actions as validating an identity of a person making arequest for medication and generating a schedule to distribute themedication. For example, after a request for medication has beenreceived from the medication center 140, the telemedicine server 208 canconfirm an identity of a local medical assist that submitted the requestbased on a comparison of identity verification data received with therequest for medication with identity data stored on the identity server202. To schedule the distribution of medication, the telemedicine server204 can retrieve medication data stored by the medical server 204 todetermine when to distribute medication, to provide an example.

While each of the servers 202-208 may be configured to store data onrespective local storage devices, the data storage 210 is configured tostore all the data that the servers 202-208 can store. In other wordsthe data storage 210 can be either a primary storage or a backup storagefor the servers 202-208. Further, because the data stored on the datastorage 210 may consume significant amounts of storage space, the datastorage 210 may include a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, whichmay be configured as a mass storage device. In order to reduce an amountof the data storage 210 preferably includes a backup routine to transferdata to permanent storage devices, such as archival permanent storage oroptical disks, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the initialrecording of that data. The storage device 210 is connected to identityserver 202, the medical server 204, the billing server 206, and thetelemedicine server 208 by way of the network bus 212, prepare

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a telemedicine server 300,according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Thetelemedicine server 300 may represent an exemplary embodiment of thetelemedicine server 208 depicted in FIG. 2. The telemedicine server 300functions as the primary logic processing center in the telemedicinesystem 100. The telemedicine server 300 includes one or more centralprocessing units (CPU) 310 connected via a bus 312 to several otherperipherals. Such peripherals include an input device, such as akeyboard and/or mouse 320, a monitor 322 for displaying information, anetwork interface card 324 and/or a modem 326 that provide networkconnectivity and communication.

The telemedicine server 300 also includes internal data storage 330. Thedata storage 330 is non-volatile storage, such as one or more magnetichard disk drives (HDDs) and/or one or more solid state drives (SSDs).The data storage 330 is used to store a variety of important files,documents, or other digital information, such as the operating systemfiles, application files, user data, and/or temporary recording space.

The telemedicine server 300 also includes system memory 340. The systemmemory 340 is preferably faster and efficient than the data storage 330,and is configured as random access memory (RAM) in an embodiment. Thesystem memory 340 contains the runtime environment of the applicationserver, storing temporary data for any of the operating system 342, javavirtual machine 344, java application server 346, and telemedicinecontrol logic 348.

Medical Center

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a medical center 400, according toexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The medical center 400may be an exemplary embodiment of one of the medical centers 142 a-142 yof FIG. 1. The medical center 400 includes an medical assistant station402, an inmate station 404, and a medication dispenser 406, that are allconnected to each other via a network bus 410.

The medical assistant station 402 is configured to function as a datareviewing center for any local medical assistants stationed at acorrectional facility. The medical assistant station 402 may include acomputer, tablet, or phone capable of viewing medical data. By way ofthe medical assistant station 402, a medical assistant may access inmatedata such as the medical data from the medical server 204, the billingdata from the billing server 206, and/or the scheduling and trackingdata from the telemedicine server 208. The medical assistant station 402includes a medical assistant verification device configured to verify anidentity of a medical assistant. Verification of a medical assistant'sidentity is performed by use of one or more of logon information such asa password verification, a keycard verification, or biometricverification such as voice recognition, retinal recognition, facialrecognition, and/or 3D facial architectural recognition. The medicalassistant station 402 also includes a medication scanner such as abarcode reader or an RFID reader for scanning medication packetsreceived from the medication center 140.

The inmate station 404 is configured to function as a data reviewingcenter for an inmate at a correctional facility. The inmate station 404may include a computer, tablet, or phone capable of viewing medicaldata. By way of the inmate station 404, an inmate may have access tohis/her medical data such as the medical data from the medical server204, the billing data from the billing server 206, and/or the schedulingand tracking data from the telemedicine server 208. The inmate station404 includes an inmate verification device configured to verify anidentity of an inmate. Verification of an inmate's identity is performedby use of one or more of logon information such as a passwordverification, a keycard verification, or biometric verification such asvoice recognition, retinal recognition, facial recognition, and/or 3Dfacial architectural recognition.

The medication dispensing station 406 includes a device configured toreceive medication and, after verifications are performed, to dispensethe medication through a retrieval bin or other retrieval apparatus. Themedication dispensing station 406 may be a standalone device, meaningthat all identity verifications are performed remote to the medicationdispensing station 406, or, as described in detail below, may beintegrated with a verification station(s) such as the inmate station404.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a medication dispensing station500, according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Themedication dispensing station 500 may represent an exemplary embodimentof the electrical components of the medication dispensing station 406depicted in FIG. 4. The medication dispensing station 500 includes oneor more central processing units (CPU) 510 connected via a bus 501 toseveral other peripherals. Such peripherals include an input device,such as a keyboard and/or mouse 520, a monitor 522 for displayinginformation, a network interface card and/or modem 524 that providenetwork connectivity and communication with the medical center 400, amedication scanner 526 such as a barcode reader or an RFID reader forscanning medication. The medication scanner 526 can be incorporatedinternally within a medication dispensing device such that whenmedication is loaded, or prior to being dispensed, the medication isscanned for verification purposes. In an embodiment, the medicationscanner 526 can be externally attached to the medication dispensingdevice so as to facilitate a medical assistant in scanning medicationwhen loaded or dispensed. Peripherals for the medication dispensingstation 500 further include an identification verification device 528 toverify an identity of a medical assistant and/or an inmate. Theidentification verification device 528 includes one or more of a keycardscanner or a biometric scanner for performing voice recognition, retinalrecognition, facial recognition, and/or 3D facial architecturalrecognition

The medication dispensing station 500 also includes internal datastorage 530. The data storage 530 is non-volatile storage, such as oneor more magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs) and/or one or more solid statedrives (SSDs). The data storage 530 is used to store a variety ofimportant files, documents, or other digital information, such as theoperating system files, application files, user data, and/or temporaryrecording space.

The medication dispensing station 500 further includes system memory540. The system memory 540 is preferably faster and efficient than thedata storage 530, and is configured as random access memory (RAM) in anembodiment. The system memory 540 contains the runtime environment ofthe application server, storing temporary data for any of the operatingsystem 542, java virtual machine 544, java application server 546, anddispenser control logic 548.

FIG. 6 illustrates a medication label 600 used for identification ofmedication by the medication dispenser 500, according to exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure. The medication label 600 includesa scannable code, such as the barcode 602, the matrix code 604, amagnetic code and/or an radio frequency identification tag (not shown)that is scannable by the medication scanner 526. The scannable code maycontain identifying data for the medication including the type ofmedication, data of preparation and expiration, location and identity ofmedication center that distributed the medication, and the inmate towhom the medication is for. As shown by FIG. 6, the medication label 600may also include identifying data on the label itself.

FIG. 7 illustrates a medication canister 700 used by the medicationdispenser 500, according to exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The medication canister 700 is manufactured to fit intoinput slots on the medication dispenser 500 and be dispensed to aretrieval bin of the medication dispenser 500. Further, the medicationcanister 700 may be manufactured of material that is clear and durablesuch that the medication label 600 can be scanned by the medicationdispenser 500.

Telemedicine System Operation

Operations of the telemedicine system 100 will be described with respectto FIGS. 8 and 9. Although the physical devices and components that formthe operations have largely already been described, additional detailsregarding their more nuanced operation will be described below withrespect to FIGS. 1-7. While FIGS. 8 and 9 contain methods of operationof the telemedicine system 100, the operations are not limited to theorder described below, and various operations can be performed in adifferent order. Further, two or more operations of each method may beperformed simultaneously with each other.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method 800 for securelydisbursing medication, according to exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure. When a medication order from a physician center 120 isreceived, a disbursement process begins (802). For example, thetelemedicine center 110 can receive a prescription order from thephysician center 120 to begin the disbursement process (802). After thedisbursement process begins, the medication order is verified anddetermined to be valid or not (804). To determine the validity of themedication order, the telemedicine server 110 obtains data such as oneor more of a signature of a physician, contact information of a senderof the medication order, or data related to a device that transmittedthe medication order, and compares the obtained data to identity datastored in the identity data stored by the identity server 202, toprovide some examples. If the medication order is not valid, then anerror report is generated (806) by the telemedicine center 120 to reportto a correctional facility that the medication order is invalid, and thedisbursement process ends (808). If the medication order is valid, themedication order is then transmitted to a medication center 140 (810)for preparation of the medication. For example, the telemedicine center110 can transmit the medication order to a pharmacy. In another example,the physician center 120 can transmit the medication order to themedication center 140 after receiving a confirmation of the medicationorder from the telemedicine server 110. In yet another example, thephysician center 120 can transmit the medication order simultaneously totelemedicine center 110 and the medication center 140.

A completion message notifying that the medication order has beencompleted is received (812) after the medication from the medicationorder has been prepared and shipped. As an example, the telemedicinecenter 110 can receive from the medication center 140 a message that themedication has been prepared and shipped to the correctional facility.The message may be in the form of a shipping receipt that includes adetailed list of the medication being delivered from the medicationcenter 140. For example, the shipping receipt may include a list of theamount of medication packets being shipped and identify the type ofmedication in each medication packet. Once the medication has beenreceived, medication packets are scanned at a medical assistant station402 and a full accounting of the medication is performed (814). Anaccounting of medication is performed by comparing the scannedmedication packets with at least one of the completion message from themedical center 140 or the medication order, to provide an example. If afull accounting is not valid, an error report is generated (806), andthe disbursement process ends (808). However, if the accounting isvalid, the medication packets are scheduled for disbursement (816). Forexample, the telemedicine server 208 generates a distribution schedulefor a local medical assistant to know when to load medication packets inthe medication dispenser 406. The distribution schedule is generatedbased on medical data, stored by the medical server 204, of acorresponding inmate for whom the medication packets are for and basedon a general distribution schedule of the medication dispenser 406.Based on the distribution schedule, medication can then be loaded in amedication canister 700 and the loaded medication canister 700 can beloaded into the medication dispenser 406 by a local medical assistant.Once a medication canister 700 containing a medication packet is loadedinto the medication dispenser 406, the medication is scanned by themedication dispenser 406 and verified. The medication dispenser 406 caneither perform the verification itself by comparing data from thescanned medication packets against the distribution schedule or bytransmitting the data to the telemedicine center 110 for thetelemedicine server 208 to compare against the distribution schedule. Ifthe correct medication is not loaded in the medication dispenser 406, anerror report is generated (806), and the disbursement process ends(808). Otherwise, the medication stored in the medication dispenser 406until being securely dispensed (822), and the disbursement process ends(808).

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart diagram of a method 900 for securelydispensing medication, according to exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The method 900 may represent an exemplary embodiment of thedispensing medication 822 depicted in FIG. 8.

When a first dispensing request is received, a dispensing process starts(902). The first dispensing request is a request from the local medicalassistant to have medication dispensed from the medication dispenser406. The first dispensing request includes data medication data andinmate identity data and data from the medical assistant verificationdevice. The first dispensing request is transmitted by the medicalassistant station 402 to the telemedicine center 110. After the firstdispensing request is received, the telemedicine center 110 validatesthe first dispensing request (904). Validation of the first dispensingrequest is performed by the telemedicine server 208 comparing data fromthe medical assistant verification device of the medical assistantstation 402, received with the first dispensing request, with identitydata stored by the identity server 202. If the dispensing request is notvalid, meaning the identity of the local medical assistant is notvalidated, an error report is generated which notifies both the medicalassistant station 402 and the medication dispensing station 406 that nomedication will be dispensed (906), and the dispensing process ends(908). Otherwise, the telemedicine center 110 transmits a seconddispensing request to a physician center 120 (910) to request forapproval of dispensing of the medication. The second dispensing requestis a request from the telemedicine center 110 to the physician center120 to have medication dispensed. The second dispensing request includesdata regarding the medication to be dispensed and inmate data. Inaddition, the second dispensing request may include additional data suchas data regarding the inmate's medication history. The telemedicinecenter 110 then receives a reply to the second dispensing request (912)from the physician center 120. At this point, the telemedicine center110 determines the validity of the reply. To determine the validity ofthe reply, the telemedicine server 110 verifies one or more of asignature of a physician, contact information of a sender of the reply,or data related to a device that transmitted the reply. For example, thetelemedicine server 208 receives the reply and compares the signature ofan authorizing physician and the model number of the transmitting deviceagainst identity data stored by the identity server 202. If the approvalor the validity of the approval are not valid, an error report isgenerated (906), and the dispensing process ends (908). Otherwise,telemedicine center 110 transmits instructions to the medicationdispensing station 406 to dispense the medication. The medicationdispensing station 406 receives the instructions and awaits for aninmate validation to be performed (916). The inmate validation isperformed when an inmate uses the identification verification device atthe medication dispensing station 406. The medication dispensing station406 can compare data from the identification verification device withidentity data from the identity server 202 and data on the medicationpackets to verify that the inmate at the medication dispensing station406 is receiving the correct medication. If the inmate validation fails,an error report is generated (906), and the dispensing process ends(908). If the inmate validation passes, the medication dispenser 406scans the medication through the canister 700 and drops the canister 700to the delivery bin for an inmate or a medical assistant to retrieve themedication.

Exemplary Computer Implementation

It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) thatvarious elements and features of the present disclosure, as describedherein, can be implemented in hardware using analog and/or digitalcircuits, in software, through the execution of computer instructions byone or more general purpose or special-purpose processors, or as acombination of hardware and software.

The following description of a general purpose computer system isprovided for the sake of completeness. Embodiments of the presentdisclosure can be implemented in hardware, or as a combination ofsoftware and hardware. Consequently, embodiments of the disclosure maybe implemented in the environment of a computer system or otherprocessing system. For example, the methods of FIGS. 8 and 9 can beimplemented in the environment of one or more computer systems or otherprocessing systems. An example of such a computer system 1000 is shownin FIG. 10. One or more of the modules depicted in the previous figurescan be at least partially implemented on one or more distinct computersystems 1000.

Computer system 1000 includes one or more processors, such as processor1004. Processor 1004 can be a special purpose or a general purposedigital signal processor. Processor 1004 is connected to a communicationinfrastructure 1002 (for example, a bus or network). Various softwareimplementations are described in terms of this exemplary computersystem. After reading this description, it will become apparent to aperson skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosureusing other computer systems and/or computer architectures.

Computer system 1000 also includes a main memory 1006, preferably randomaccess memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 1008.Secondary memory 1008 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1010and/or a removable storage drive 1012, representing a floppy disk drive,a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, or the like. Removablestorage drive 1012 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit1016 in a well-known manner. Removable storage unit 1016 represents afloppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, or the like, which is read byand written to by removable storage drive 1012. As will be appreciatedby persons skilled in the relevant art(s), removable storage unit 1016includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computersoftware and/or data.

In alternative implementations, secondary memory 1008 may include othersimilar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to beloaded into computer system 1000. Such means may include, for example, aremovable storage unit 1018 and an interface 1014. Examples of suchmeans may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such asthat found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as anEPROM, or PROM) and associated socket, a thumb drive and USB port, andother removable storage units 1018 and interfaces 1014 which allowsoftware and data to be transferred from removable storage unit 1018 tocomputer system 1000.

Computer system 1000 may also include a communications interface 1020.Communications interface 1020 allows software and data to be transferredbetween computer system 1000 and external devices. Examples ofcommunications interface 1020 may include a modem, a network interface(such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a PCMCIA slot andcard, etc. Software and data transferred via communications interface1020 are in the form of signals which may be electronic,electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being received bycommunications interface 1020. These signals are provided tocommunications interface 1020 via a communications path 1022.Communications path 1022 carries signals and may be implemented usingwire or cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RFlink and other communications channels.

As used herein, the terms “computer program medium” and “computerreadable medium” are used to generally refer to tangible storage mediasuch as removable storage units 1016 and 1018 or a hard disk installedin hard disk drive 1010. These computer program products are means forproviding software to computer system 1000.

Computer programs (also called computer control logic) are stored inmain memory 1006 and/or secondary memory 1008. Computer programs mayalso be received via communications interface 1020. Such computerprograms, when executed, enable the computer system 1000 to implementthe present disclosure as discussed herein. In particular, the computerprograms, when executed, enable processor 1004 to implement theprocesses of the present disclosure, such as any of the methodsdescribed herein. Accordingly, such computer programs representcontrollers of the computer system 1000. Where the disclosure isimplemented using software, the software may be stored in a computerprogram product and loaded into computer system 1000 using removablestorage drive 1012, interface 1014, or communications interface 1020.

In another embodiment, features of the disclosure are implementedprimarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components such asapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and gate arrays.Implementation of a hardware state machine so as to perform thefunctions described herein will also be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant art(s).

CONCLUSION

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and notthe Abstract section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims.The Abstract section may set forth one or more, but not all exemplaryembodiments, and thus, is not intended to limit the disclosure and theappended claims in any way.

The invention has been described above with the aid of functionalbuilding blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functionsand relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional buildingblocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of thedescription. Alternate boundaries may be defined so long as thespecified functions and relationships thereof are appropriatelyperformed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) that variouschanges in form and detail can be made therein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the invention should notbe limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A telemedicine system for a correctionalfacility, comprising: a telemedicine server configured to: receive amedication request to dispense medication at the correctional facility;transmit the medication request to a physician center remote from thecorrectional facility; and receive a reply to the medication requestindicating whether to dispense the medication; and a medicationdispensing station configured to: verify an identity of an inmate;determine whether the identity of the inmate corresponds to themedication request; and dispense the medication to the inmate based onthe reply and the determination.
 2. The telemedicine system of claim 1,further comprising a medical assistant station, wherein the medicalassistant station transmits the medication request to the telemedicineserver.
 3. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the telemedicineserver is further configured to verify that the reply to the medicationrequest is from a designated physician center.
 4. The telemedicinesystem of claim 1, wherein the identity verification is one or more of akeycard verification, a password verification or a biometricverification.
 5. The telemedicine system of claim 4, wherein thebiometric verification is one or more of a voice recognition, a facialrecognition, a fingerprint recognition, or a retinal recognition.
 6. Thetelemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the medication dispensingstation determines whether the identity of the inmate corresponds to themedication request by: transmitting identity verification data generatedfrom the identity verification to the telemedicine server; and receivinga response to the identity verification data from the telemedicineserver whether the inmate corresponds to the medication request.
 7. Thetelemedicine system of claim 6, wherein the telemedicine server isfurther configured to receive the identity verification data from themedication dispensing station and compare one or more of voice data,fingerprint print, retinal data, or facial data with the identityverification data.
 8. A medication dispensing station for a correctionalfacility comprising: a network interface device configured tocommunicate with a telemedicine server; an identity verification deviceconfigured to verify an identity of a medicine requester; a medicationdispensing device configured to store and dispense the medication; andat least one processor and/or circuit configured to: receive, from thetelemedicine server, a medication request to dispense a medication, themedication request including a designated medication and a designatedinmate to receive the medication; control the identity verificationdevice to perform identity verification of the medicine requester;determine whether the identity of the medicine requester corresponds tothe designated inmate; and control the medication dispensing device todispense the medication based on the determination.
 9. The medicationdispensing station of claim 1, wherein the medication dispensing stationcomprises a medication scanner configured to obtain data regardingmedication loaded into the medication dispensing device.
 10. Themedication dispensing station of claim 9, wherein the medication scannerverifies that the medication to be dispensed is the same as thedesignated medication.
 11. The medication dispensing station of claim10, wherein the at least one processor and/or circuit is furtherconfigured to transmit a message to the telemedicine server that thedesignated medication has been dispensed.
 12. The medication dispensingstation of claim 9, wherein the medication scanner is located inside ofthe medication dispensing device.
 13. The medication dispensing stationof claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured toreceive a distribution schedule indicating when medication should beloaded into and dispensed by the medication dispensing device.
 14. Themedication dispensing station of claim 1, wherein the identityverification device is one or more of a keycard reader, a keypad toenter a password, or a biometric verification device.
 15. A telemedicineserver for a correctional facility comprising: a network interfacedevice configured to communicate with a physician center remote to thecorrectional facility and a medication dispensing station; and at leastone processor and/or circuit configured to: receive a request todispense medication at the correctional facility, the request includingan identity of an inmate to whom the request pertains; receive aconfirmation to dispense the medication from a physician center;transmit, to the medication dispensing station, an instruction toperform an identity verification; receive identity verification datafrom the medication dispensing station, the identity verification dataincluding a verified identity of a requester; determine whether theverified identity matches the identity of the inmate of the request todispense medication; and transmit a command to dispense the medicationbased on the result of the determination.
 16. The telemedicine server ofclaim 15, further comprising a storage device configured to storeidentify data of physicians at the physician center and identity data ofmedical assistants and inmates at the correctional facility.
 17. Thetelemedicine server of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to compare the identity data of the physicians toverify an authenticity of the confirmation received from the physiciancenter, and to compare the identity data of the medical assistants toverify an authenticity of the request to dispense medication.
 18. Thetelemedicine server of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to generate a medication distribution schedule toindicate when a medication should be loaded into a medication dispensingdevice and when the medication should be dispensed by the medicationdispensing device.
 19. The telemedicine server of claim 18, wherein theat least one processor is further configured to coordinate thedispensing of the medication by the medication dispensing device basedon the medication schedule.
 20. The telemedicine server of claim 18,wherein the at least one processor generates the medication schedulebased on a medication order received from the physician center.